Cao Pi's Invasion of Wu
Cao Pi's Invasion of Wu was Cao Pi's first attempt to attack Wu, shortly after taking the throne of Wei. Cao Pi's invasion was a large-scale three pronged attack against Wu. Background In 221 A.D. Liu Bei 劉備 led his forces against Wu to exact vengeance for the death of Guan Yu 關羽, the forces would meet at Yiling and the Shu forces would be defeated. Prior to the battle at Yiling, Sun Quan had "surrendered" to Wei, as he knew Liu Bei would soon seek reprisal for the death of Guan Yu. Emperor Cao Pi not only accepted his surrender and even bestowed upon Sun Quan 孫權 the title of King of Wu and the Nine Distinctions, making him just below Cao Pi in rank. So, ostensibly the two kingdoms were allies and not a danger to one another. Emperor Cao Pi had even tried to invite Sun Quan's son, Sun Deng 孫登 to court to enfeoff him with titles. But each time, Sun Quan would make some excuse as to why he couldn't go; usually along the lines of Sun Deng being too young to make the journey or too young to understand the ways of the world. "My son is young in years, and furthermore I have not instructed him sufficiently." The Battle With Shu forces severely destroyed by the conflict at Yiling, several of the Wu generals: Xu Sheng 徐盛, Pan Zhang 潘璋, Song Qian 宋謙, etc. memorialise the throne to pursue Liu Bei to White Emperor Castle (白帝). However, Lu Xun 陸遜, Zhu Ran 朱然 and Luo Tong 駱統 send word that Cao Pi is marshalling his forces and pursuing Liu Bei would be disastrous, saying: "Cao Pi has been assembling his troops on a large scale. Ostensibly he claims that he is helping our State in attacking Liu Bei, but in his heart he cherishes a treacherous design. I have respectfully come to a decision that we should speedily respond with war". With Sun Quan unwilling to send his son as a hostage and affirm his loyalty to Wei, Cao Pi decides to invade Wu. In the ninth month (Oct. 23 - Nov. 23), Cao Pi dispatches his forces in three armies to attack Wu. Battle of Dong River In the 9th month (23rd Oct.-21st Nov.) of 222 A.D., Cao Pi appointed General-in-Chief Who Conquers the East Cao Xiu 曹休 in command of over 20 armies, led by experienced generals such as General of the Van Zhang Liao 張遼 and General Who Guards the East Zang Ba 臧霸, to the mouth of Dong river (洞口) in Guangling (廣陵) commandery, where there was a slightly smaller Wu fortress, downstream from Ruxu fortress.SGZ: Biography of Cao Xiu. In Wu, Sun Quan appointed General Who Establishes Might Lü Fan 呂範 to command five armies to oppose Cao Xiu on the southern shore.SGZ: Biography of Sun Quan. Cao Xiu was positioned north of the Jiang River and he was eager for battle. He sent a memorial to Emperor Cao Pi saying: :"I am willing to lead picked troops and stride like a tiger on the south of the Yangzi. I shall be able to obtain supplies from the enemy; the adventure will end in certain success. Your Majesty need not mind if I meet my end thus."Fang. Chapter 3 in The Chronicles of the Three KingdomsSGZ: Biography of Dong Zhao. Emperor Cao Pi feared Xiu would cross, so he urgently sent messengers with an edict to check Cao Xiu, although sentiment about the court at that time was that Zang Ba was too comfortable in his position and reluctant to attempt the dangerous trip across the River. The Palace Attendant Dong Zhao 董昭 said:SGZ: Biography of Dong Zhao. :"I observe that Your Majesty wears an expression of worry on the face. Is it because Cao Xiu might cross the Yangzi? Now as for crossing the Yangzi, that is something nobody wants to do. Even if Cao Xiu harbors such intention, it is impossible for him to execute it single-handed; he needs the cooperation of other generals. Zang Ba and others are not only rich but in high positions, hence they look for nothing more from life than to die natural death and keep their emoluments and ranks. How can they be willing to risk throwing themselves into a dangerous place to court uncertain fortune?" "If Zang Ba and his men do not advance, then Cao Xiu will of himself desist. I fear that even if Your Majesty were to issue an edict commanding him to cross the Yangzi, he would have to devise some way to do so and not be able to obey the command immediately."SGZ, Biography of Dong Zhao.Fang. Chapter 3 in The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms In the 11th month (11 Dec. - 19 Jan.), disaster struck the Wu fleet. During the night, there was a heavy storm. The strong winds sheared the ropes mooring the boats and they were carried to the northern bank of the river, right into Cao Xiu's camp. Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary Wang Ling 王淩 and the other Wei generals killed or captured some 10,000 men and their boats, and thousands of Lu Fan's men were drowned in the Jiang RiverThere's also an edict recording these events in Wei shu quoted in Cao Pi's SGZ, but it does read a little like propaganda so I doubt it's credibility can be trusted. The Wei shu account says 40,000 soldiers were beheaded and 10,000 boats were captured after the storm. It also says that Cao Ren performed well at Ruxu, which is false.. And many others scattered along the river trying to return to the south of the Jiang river.SGZ: Biography of Sun Quan.SGZ: Biography of Wang Ling. Cao Pi immediately tried to capitalise on the disaster and ordered Cao Xiu to advance across the Jiang. Cao Xiu ordered Zang Ba to lead the attack. He took 500 light boats and 10,000 volunteers to attack Xuling (徐陵).SGZ: Biography of Sun Quan. To compound problems, Sun Lang 孫朗 accidentally set fire to the Wu campIt was originally recorded that Sun Kuang 孫匡, not Sun Lang, was the cause of the fire. But as Sun Kuang had died several years earlier, Pei Songzhi argues that the culprit was actually Sun Lang, Sun Kuang's half brother.. Sun Lang, a palace guard at the time, thought he could use fire to destroy the Wei fleet but his efforts backfired. Instead of destroying the Wei boats, he set fire to the city walls destroying many Wu supplies and siege weapons.SGZ, Accounts from South of the Yangzi quoted in the Biography of Sun Kuang. General Who Establishes Awe Xu Sheng then gathered the scattered soldiers on the southern bank to repel the Wei forces. Sheng had few soldiers and the enemy many, yet the enemy could not overcome him and retreated.SGZ: Biography of Xu Sheng. And Lieutenant-General Quan Cong 全琮 managed to kill Wei General Yin Lu 尹盧.SGZ: Biography of Quan Cong. Despite the repeated disasters, the combined efforts of Sheng and Cong drove the Wei forces from the southern shore and they killed several hundred soldiers.SGZ: Biography of Sun Quan. Sun Quan was furious with Sun Lang's blunder. Sun Quan stripped Sun Lang of all titles and ranks and even the Sun family name, and had him imprisoned for life.SGZ, Accounts from South of the Yangzi quoted in the Biography of Sun Kuang. Battle of Ruxu Fortress Cao Pi sent Grand Marshal Cao Ren 曹仁, Wei's highest ranking commander, against Ruxu (濡須) FortressA fortified harbour which was constructed back in 213 A.D. on the advice of Lü Meng 呂蒙. In Wu, Major-General Zhu Huan 朱桓 was at that time Commander of Ruxu. In the second month of 223 A.D. (20 Mar.-17 Apr.), Cao Ren marched with tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry against the fortress at Ruxu, but he first gave Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary Jiang Ji 蔣濟 a separate command and they made a show of heading east to attack Xianxi (羨溪), before regrouping with Ren at RuxuSGZ: Biography of Jiang Ji.. Ren's deception worked, Zhu Huan took the bait and sent a detachment of men to reinforce Xianxi. It wasn't until Ren's forces were 35 km away that Huan realised his mistake and tried to recall the relief force. But by the time Ren's forces arrived, Huan's men have not returned and the Wu forces garrisoned at Ruxu only numbered 5,000. Anxiety in Ruxu was high, so Zhu Huan rallied his forces. He said to them: SGZ: Biography of Zhu Huan. :"When two armies meet, the outcome of the battle is decided by the quality of their commanders, not by the numerical superiority or inferiority of the rank and file. You gentlemen are well informed of Cao Ren's generalship; is it superior to mine? What is said in the Art of War--the 'guest' requires double forces and the 'host' half--applies only when both armies are on a plain, without the protection of walls and moats, and when they are balanced as to bravery of the rank-and-file. Now Cao Ren is neither intelligent nor brave. Furthermore, his troops are exceedingly cowardly. Besides, they have marched a thousand li; both men and horses are worn out. Gentlemen, you and I together take our position within high walls, southwards facing the great Yangzi and northwards backed by hills and mounds. With rested troops we wait for a fatigued enemy; as 'host' we have the 'guest' at our mercy. This is a situation where one hundred battles mean one hundred victories. Even if Cao Pi were here, there would be nothing to worry about, much less when it is a man like Cao Ren!"Fang. Chapter 4 in Chronicles of the Three KingdomsSGZ: Biography of Zhu Huan. Zhu Huan then had the standards torn down and the drums put away to create a facade of weakness. Cao Ren arrived at Ruxu and saw it apparently undermanned. Assuming that his misinformation has worked, instead of leading the attack himself, he dispatched his son Cao Tai 曹泰 to seize Ruxu in his stead. Nearby in the river, a small river islet housed the families of the soldiers of Ruxu. So Ren also sent Chang Diao 常雕, Zhuge Qian 諸葛虔 and Wang Shuang 王雙 with 5,000 men to capture the river islet. Ren decided to take the remaining 10,000 men and camp at Tuogao (橐皋) to act as a support force should they lose.SGZ: Biography of Zhu Huan. Jiang Ji, Ren's advisor, attempted to dissuade Ren from attacking the island. Ji said: :"The Wu rebels occupy the west bank and their boats are lined up on the upper reaches of the river. To let our troops enter the islet under such circumstances is like sending them to hell; we are only courting disaster."Fang. Chapter 4 in Chronicles of the Three KingdomsSGZ, Biography of Jiang Ji. But Cao Ren did not heed Jiang Ji's warning. Zhu Huan quickly split his forces, dispatched General Yan Gui 嚴圭 and Luo Tong with the fleet to stop Chang Diao, and personally held the defence against Cao Tai. As Ji suspected, attacking the islet proved disastrous. The Wu forces, impelled by the rivers current, intercepted the Wei boats on the Yangzi. Diao was slain, Wang Shuang capturedHe is later returned to Wei, only to be killed by Zhuge Liang at Chencang. along with several boats and the number of Wei soldiers killed or drowned numbered over a thousand.The edict quoted in Cao Pi's SGZ says that Cao Ren somehow managed to capture several tens of thousands of Wu soldiers during this disaster, which conflicts with the SGZ records of this battle. Cao Tai abandoned his siege, burnt his own camp and retreated.SGZ: Biography of Sun Quan.SGZ: Biography of Zhu Huan.SGZ: Biography of Luo Tong. Siege of Jiangling In the ninth month of 222 A.D. (23 Oct.-21 Nov.), Cao Pi dispatched General-in-Chief of the First Army Cao Zhen 曹真, General Who Subdue the South Xiahou Shang 夏侯尚, General of the Left Zhang He 張郃 and General of the Right Xu Huang 徐晃 to attack Nan commandery in Jing province. Cao Zhen led a force of 30,000 soldiers to lay siege to Jiangling in Nan commandery.SGZ: Biography of Sun Quan.SGZ, Biography of Pan Zhang. General Who Subdues the North Zhu Ran 朱然 had been besieged in Jiangling for four months without respite, so Sun Quan sent Sun Sheng 孫盛 with 10,000 men to relieve Jiangling. Sun Sheng set up his camp on a river islet (Bolizhou, "Hundred Li Islet") outside Jiangling to act as support, and built embankments about his camp in defence.SGZ, Biography of Zhu Ran. In the first month of 223 A.D. (18 Feb-Mar. 19), Zhang He led a detachment of troops across the Yangzi River attacking Sun Sheng and putting him to flight before taking his encampment for himself.SGZ, Biography of Zhang He. In the second month of 223 A.D. (20 Mar.-17 Apr.), hearing of Sun Sheng's defeat, Sun Quan dispatched General of the Left Zhuge Jin 諸葛瑾, General Who Pacifies the North Pan Zhang, and General Yang Can 楊粲 to relieve the siege of Jiangling. Zhuge Jin encamped on the bank of the Yangzi opposite Xiahou Shang's camp. Zhuge Jin splits his forces, sending some against the river islet and leaving the rest stationed on the Yangzi river.SGZ, Biography of Xiahou Shang. Xiahou Shang predicted Zhuge Jin's actions and by night had prepared a counter-offensive against the Wu reinforcements. Shang secretly moves his forces at night and launched his fleet from both sides of the Yangzi, sending 10,000 men against both the islet and the forces on the river. Zhuge Jin's forces were heavily defeated as Xiahou Shang sets fire to both his naval fleet and his main camp.SGZ, Biography of Xiahou Shang.SGZ: Records of Wu quoted in the SGZ Biography of Zhuge Jin. Now, Jiangling had been under siege for six months and two waves of reinforcements had been turned back by the Wei forces. To make matters worse, there was a sickness within the city which reduced the number of troops under Zhu Ran to only 5,000. The odds were severely against Wu, they were greatly outnumbered, saw no chance of reinforcements, suffering from disease and running low of supplies. In the sixth month of the siege, Yao Tai 姚泰, the Magistrate of Jiangling, believing the situation to be hopeless, planned to defect to Wei along with others. Yao Tai was in command of the northern city gate and had begun communication with Wei forces to arrange a coordinated attack. Zhu Ran found out about the plot and quickly executed Yao Tai.SGZ, Biography of Zhu Ran. At this time, the waters of the Jiang were fairly shallow; so Xiahou Shang decided the best way to achieve victory was to build a pontoon bridge connecting the islet to both river banks to enable easy transport of supplies and troops. Dong Zhao quickly memorialised the throne, stating that Xiahou Shang's plan was incredibly dangerous. He argued that: :"The Cao Cao surpassed others in wisdom and courage, yet in battle he feared the enemy enough not to underestimate him. In war, advance is agreeable and retreat disagreeable--this is only natural. Even where the terrain is flat and without defiles, there still are natural difficulties. Circumstances may require a deep incursion, but a practicable route for retreat ought to be kept ready. Advance and retreat in war cannot always accord with our wishes." :"Now the troops are encamped on the river islet--this is 'deepest'; they cross the river by means of pontoon bridges--this is 'most precarious'; they move on a single route, this is 'narrowest'. These three things are avoided by students of military art, yet they are precisely what our troops are doing. The Wu rebels will repeatedly attack the pontoon bridges, and in the meanwhile we may commit some untoward mistakes; in that case the picked troops on the river islet will no longer belong to the Wei, but will fall into the hands of the Wu." :"Your Servant is worried to the extent of forgetting sleep and food; yet the officials who discuss the matter are not perturbed at all. Are they not mistaken?" :"Furthermore, the Yangzi is wont to overflow; should it rise suddenly, how shall we protect ourselves? Even if we cannot destroy the rebels, at least we ought to preserve ourselves. How is it that we court disaster, yet do not fear? The situation is precarious. May Your Majesty take notice of it!"SGZ, Biography of Dong Zhao.Fang. Chapter 4 in The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms Cao Pi agreed and commanded the undertaking be abandoned. Pan Zhang had noticed the bridges and had led a contingent of men 50 li (25 km or 15 mi) upstream and had cut down millions of sheaves of reeds to build rafts, which he planned to ignite and send down the Yangzi. Pan Zhang was simply waiting for the waters to rise to put his plan in action.SGZ, Biography of Pan Zhang. Fortunately for the Wei forces, orders to withdraw came and they retreated from the river islet. As predicted by Dong Zhao, the retreat was painfully slow across the narrow pontoon bridges. Only 10 days after the retreat was called did the waters of the Yangzi begin to rise up, so disaster was narrowly diverted and Cao Pi praised Dong Zhao on his foresight. Eventually the Wei army started to succumb to sickness (possibly contracted from those within the city) and were forced to retreat.SGZ, Biography of Xiahou Shang. Notes Fact vs Fiction References Sources Category:Battles